


Murky Waters

by LeeMorrigan



Series: Shape of Shadows [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: An older Black Widow shows up, And your enemies closer, Clint is a good mentor, F/M, Fury is mentioned - Freeform, Gen, I'll get to his hug soon, Ignores Vision/Wanda, Keep your friends close, Maria Hill is mentioned, Natasha is awesome, Phil Coulson is mentioned, Quinn was a good padawan, Ross is a jerk, Steve Needs a Hug, The net is tightening on our heroes, Wakanda, Wanda is still perfecting her skills, bucky is still in cryo, heavy is the head that wears the crown, part of a series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 06:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13652892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeMorrigan/pseuds/LeeMorrigan
Summary: Steve and the others make the best of their time hidden away in Wakanda, as former SHIELD agent Quinn has to go on the run, and T'Challa learns that someone close to him may be in danger. Natasha, of course, learns about Quinn's being in trouble. T'Challa enlists the aid of a former Black Widow to take care of an important mission outside of Wakanda.





	Murky Waters

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the Marvel characters, only Bronach Quinn, Lesya, and any other original characters. I apologize for spelling errors of Marvel characters/places, sometimes IMDB, AO3, and other sources don't agree so I just pick one. No swearing, sex, or violence, just tension.  
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!

Steve watched as Wanda working on a new exercise from her Wakandian tutor. She had four trays, each with four cups of water, and she had to take them through an obstacle course of sorts, to lay them at four tables on the other end of the room. At the moment, she could handle three trays and get them to lay on the tables simultaneously. Today they had added the fourth.

“She’s getting better.”

Steve glanced over his shoulder to see Natasha, in her leggings and tank top, a towel around her sweaty shoulders, and her freshly bleached hair in a fuzzy braid. Like his own hair, hers had grown out since they became fugitives hiding out in Wakanda. In her bare feet, she was even more stealthy than usual.

“Yeah. They added the last tray today. She’s been able to get it through most of the obstacle course without shaking the cups.”

“I looked into Nock’s intel.”

That got his full attention. But Nat seemed more focused on the bottle of water in his hand. Tossing it over to her, she quickly removed the lid and had gulp, before handing it back to Steve.

“Bruce isn’t in Norway, and hasn’t been since 2014, when he went to a conference with Tony. Thor and Loki, however, were around. Only for a couple hours though. They did go to some old folks home that was in the end-stages of demolition, then Loki vanished and there was a calling card left in his place. Thor read the card, moved around the city, ended up meeting with one Doctor Strange. After that, Thor was just gone. He never left the building, as far as any nearby cameras could call. However, Stark Industries had some funny readings with one of their super-fancy satellites. Short, non-mind-numbing-with-boring-science version, someone used some _mega-energy_ to send something out almost like how that Bifrost works in Asgard. So I’m guessing either Strange somehow shot Thor and Loki back to Asgard, or Loki’s got some smaller, less powerful version of the Tesseract that allowed him to return Thor to Asgard.”

“But… Thor said that Loki died. In his arms.”

“I know. The cameras clearly show Loki. Thor was in the Tshirt, jeans, and hoodie we’re all used to seeing him walk around the Tower in. Loki was in a solid black suit. They stood together, both with their arms crossed, looking at the building being taken down. Then Loki just shimmers into nothingness and Thor takes off with the card. It seems he was disguising his hammer as an umbrella.”

Steve smiled a little, despite himself. The mighty hammer of Thor, made to look like some puny little umbrella. Wonders never ceased with this team.

“But nothing on Banner?”, Steve asked. For Nat’s sake, he had been hoping Bruce was sitting at some café in Norway with a coffee and pastry.

Nat shook her head. “Not a single thing.”

“And Ross still thinks Banner was in Norway?”

“Yup. He’s got men on the ground, searching as we speak.”

Steve sighed, turning back to continue watching Wanda. He wasn’t really paying attention to her progress. He was so tired of being helpless. Of being stuck, unable to move, to help Nat track down Banner, to communicate with Thor, or to have Bucky back and in his right mind.

“Steve, there’s something else to worry about though.”

“What now? Another alien invasion? T’Challa finally had to tell someone we’re here?”

“No. Quinn completely went dark.”

Quinn was very good at that, however the last time she had gone totally dark on the channels Nat and Clint used, had been two years before Steve met her. From what Clint said, there had been someone from Quinn’s murky past who had gotten a contract to take out Nat and Clint. Rather than giving either of them a warning to lay low, Quinn had left the SHIELD facility she was stationed out of, then disappeared into the ether.

Five weeks later, she showed up with a couple broken fingers and a very dark look. Fury never found the bodies and there were nine top-hitters who were never heard from again. When Steve asked more, Clint only told him that Nat had tried to find something- anything, about what exactly happened and that Bronach told Clint there wouldn’t be anything for Nat to find.

“Full-dark?”

“Full-dark. Steve, if she did that, something big is wrong.”

  
“I know.”

“I just hope she doesn’t cross paths with Ross. He knows her face.”

“How?”, Steve asked. Quinn so rarely worked with anyone outside of the Avengers, and she worked in the area she could control- the shadows. Fury and Phil had been the only other two she worked with, even Maria Hill hadn’t known about Quinn till just after they had to take on Ultron.

“You ever wonder how come he didn’t show up right after Sokovia, why it took another incident to get him breathing down our necks?”

“No. I just assumed that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“She was doing a job for Fury and she saved the life of one of Ross’s people, however she also caused them to lose some big fish. Ross isn’t the forgiving type. He chased after her but, as we all know, Quinn is as easy to catch as a puff of smoke.”

“She’s not as good at is as you are, Nat.”

“No. Doesn’t have my training. She does have other gifts though, and since most people don’t understand how they work, and those who do only know about her primary ability, she slips through their fingers most of the time.”

Steve’s head dropped as he tried to calm himself. He should have kept at her till she agreed to come back to Wakanda. If he had known Ross was gunning for her then, maybe he could have talked her into coming with him. She would have been safe in Wakanda.

“She’ll be fine, Steve. She’s hidden out from bigger guys with a better reach than Ross.”

He nodded.

“She successfully hid from Fury for three years after her figured out she was out there. Honestly, Clint’s the only one who has ever been able to find her when she didn’t want found. And he’s Clint.”

Clint, the one who always saved the strays, or so Maria Hill had joked once. The man who made a different call, according to Natasha’s description. Fury had referred to Clint as being something between an assassin-spy and a kindly-Jedi. Able to see the true nature of a person, to draw it out, and to bring even the darkest back to the light. It made sense, being that Clint was the only family man out of the lot of them, able to juggle being an Avenger with being a husband and father.

“If I get worried, I’ll contact Clint and we’ll go find her. She wouldn’t hide from us, Steve.”

He agreed, reluctantly. Moving back to his former position, he leaned on the rail.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I just got word back, as I was heading up here to ask how Wanda’s training was going. I didn’t know half this much this morning when I saw you. I wouldn’t hide this stuff from you, can’t really afford to hide stuff from each other right now.”

Nat came up and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

“Now you know how I feel every time Clint goes out to do his work and how Phil felt every time I went out.”

“Not exactly.”

“True, Clint, Phil, and I didn’t play tonsil hockey with each other.”

Steve tilted his head to give her a side-eyed glare. Natasha offered him a small smile, rubbing his shoulder. Neither had to speak. She was worried, he was worried, and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

T’Challa waited till his advisor had left the room before he called for Lesya, a foreign operative who had previously worked for T’Chaka. She was highly trusted, despite being a foreigner. She was also a former Black Widow, trained in the Red Room some twenty years before the Avengers’ Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff.

Within minutes, Lesya arrived. She was a very attractive woman in her 50s, though she could easily have passed for her mid-30s. Average height, built like a dancer, a walk that looked more like a prowl, with sharp features, pale grey eyes, shocking white hair, and decked out in designer clothing from neck to toes.

“King T’Challa.”

“I need you to look into something for me. Thunderbolt Ross appears to have designs on a member of my Dora Milaje.”

“Where is she working?”

“At the moment, Tokyo. She is set to arrive in Moscow on Thursday.”

Lesya nodded. He could already see the wheels turning behind her eyes. The woman was highly intelligent and incredibly loyal. T’Chaka had given her a home when the rest of the world meant to erase her. More than that, he had trusted her. She never forgot T’Chaka’s kindness or trust.

“I will make sure he doesn’t come near her.”

“Good. You leave in an hour.”

She nodded, moving to give a short bow before turning to stride out.

“Lesya.”

She stopped, turning in one fluid motion to face T’Challa.

“Thank you.”

She smiled. It was a genuine smile, rather than one of her knowing smirks she generally offered.

“You’ve no need to thank me, my King.”

“Just the same.”

She nodded, then turned to leave. T’Challa sat back, letting out a long breath. Nakia was one of, if not the absolute, best of the Dora Milaje. However, she could be brash and bold, two things that made a woman stand out in other parts of the world. And not in a good way.

T’Challa considered the pieces on the chessboard. Natasha had come by earlier to inform him of her own intel about Thor, Loki, Dr.Strange, Dr.Banner, and this friend, Bronach Quinn. She had been reluctant to tell him of Agent Quinn until she realized he already knew of the woman. Nakia had met her once, when the SHIELD agent had saved the life of a blind man during a shootout. Then she had helped Nakia, upon realizing which side of things Nakia was on, then disappeared.

It had taken Nakia about a month to track down this mystery woman, several more weeks to figure out the story on her. SHIELD agent, classified as an Enhanced. They never met again, though Nakia seemed impressed when she spoke of this woman, and that was enough for T’Challa. Nakia was not easily impressed.

If Ross was hot on Quinn’s trail and he was also putting Nakia in his sights, it could mean that he suspected where Captain America, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, and Falcon had disappeared to. Even Agent Romanoff had admitted there were very few corners they could have so fully disappeared into. Wakanda was one of those places, however Ross and others still believed T’Challa blamed the Winter Soldier for T’Chaka’s death. They were wrong, yet it was useful to permit their incorrect assumptions to remain. For now.

If it was not an attempt to track the Captain and his Avengers, there were a few other options. Vibranium was always a reason to poke around Wakanda. Many had done so over the centuries, however the past 80 years had been the worst, by far. So many wished to take what was rightfully Wakanda’s.

T’Challa knew of a few other reasons Ross might be after Nakia and Agent Quinn. They could be separate and have nothing to do with each other, as Nakia may have been believed to be a former SHIELD agent or even a rogue operative worthy of their taking an interest. Agent Quinn may have been on their radar for her abilities, her ties to Captain America, or even her ties to Fury- whom Ross was very invested in finding. T’Challa’s contacts had noticed Ross was trying to find Fury, for reasons no one seemed to be sure of.

The days ahead would show them what Ross was up to and how far he was willing to go. T’Challa did not care for waiting. He preferred action. And from what he had seen of late, Shuri was shaping up to be no better, despite being so blessed with intelligence.

T’Challa stood and walked out of the briefing room. He needed to speak to Okoye and his step-mother. He had a few questions and he knew they would have some of the answers.

~*~*~*~*~

Quinn checked both ways before heading out of the small hotel. She had not stayed the night there, however she had slipped in to appear as a guest down in the lobby to enjoy the continental breakfast. It allowed her to watch the guys coming in then shortly after, leaving the hotel she had stayed in. Being across the street, she also wasn't in the area being searched at the moment, as it seemed they believed her to be long-gone.

Once she went out, down the street, and stopped in a small antique shop. It had no security cameras and it had a side door that would allow her to bypass the bank’s camera on the nearby ATM. Plus, it made it slightly harder to guess where she had gone to. She preferred traveling in the late evening, nighttime, or the twilight-dawn so that she could cheat and use her gifts for controlling shadows. Traveling in broad daylight was always a last resort for her.

It was 1PM and the weather could not have been more perfect for mid-spring in Seattle. Everyone was out, enjoying the rare bright, sunny day. It was the worst possible conditions for her to make her escape, ahead of Thunderbolt Ross’s goon squad.

A few minutes later, Quinn was in a bus station. It was on the poorer side of town, however it still had some video surveillance security. Thankfully, it had lots of blind spots that were easy to find and travel within, if you knew what you were doing. And thanks to Clint, she was well suited to this.

Unfortunately, that morning she had been woken by a loud knocking on her door. She hadn’t needed to look to know it was some sort of agent. They all knocked the same. She had bolted, with her go-bag always ready beside her pillow. And for the past five hours, she had been dodging and weaving her way through the city till she could get to this bus station in time for the 1:25 bus to L.A. From there, she figured she would make her way to Houston.

Houston was good because she had an old friend there who owed her a favor. As she waited for the right moment to spring forward and catch the bus, Quinn caught herself wishing she had left with Steve. But she had been right, it was better for him and the team, to leave her out where she could keep her ear to the ground for them. More dangerous for her, yes. But ultimately better for her friends.

She waited, making sure that the bus was just about to take a head count, and then she came forward. She had her go-bag and a small satchel that served as her purse. She gave her ticket to the driver and he closed the door behind her with a nasty look. Quickly moving to an isle-seat, towards the middle of the bus, Quinn settled. In a little while, they would hit L.A. and after that, it would be easy enough to get to her friend. She just hoped he would be cool with helping her get to Greece.

Greece was her favorite hideaway when she was alone. She liked the food, she read the language well enough to navigate, and it wasn’t hard to find places that were lacking in internet-connected, video-based security. Plus, since she tended to be able to pass for anything from a 21yr old foreign exchange student to a 30yr old woman from a cruise ship just having a day to shop, people tended not to pay too much attention to the American woman. Or the Scottish woman, as she was pretty darn good at faking that accent.

Not for the first time, she half-wished Clint or Steve were with her. Neither did well sleeping on missions, which meant she could prop up against them and sleep away the midday hours while they kept watch for trouble. Traveling alone meant she could only sleep when she was set up in such a way she didn’t have to worry as much about keeping watch.

Suddenly, a huge downpour came rolling in. Quinn smiled. Spotting the outline of a nearby bus, she used her abilities to make that bus appear to be the one hiding in the shadows so the cameras could not get any usable footage. If Ross’s men were looking through that, they would assume she took that bus rather than the one she was on. Clint had always liked the misdirection trick, and she just hoped it still worked as well for her as it had for them on their last mission.

Sitting back, she let out a sigh. There was nothing to do now except pray and wait. Until they hit L.A., she was stuck in the small, rolling tube of metal. She checked her watch, making sure that it would be dark when they arrived. That way she could cover her tracks more subtly when she had to pass through the L.A. bus station, to a Taxi, and then to a different bus or train station out to Texas. Then, to Greece.


End file.
